St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-10-24
A ROYAL BATTLE
Between Eight Lions at the Liver
pool Exhibition.

By Cable to the Globe
LONDON, Oct. 23.-Early this morning
there was fearful and exciting battle
in the Jubilee Exhibition at Liverpool.
DelmOnicO, that most plucky tanner of
beasts, has been exciting the nerves of
the visitors for a long time by trifling
in the cage with three big forest lions.
Five more lions of a different kind, but
very large, arrived from Africa yester-
day, and were put at once into the big
cage with the three already at home
there. They had no training, but Del
monico went in among them, and
thrilled the crowd that filled the me-
nagerie by an unusually sensational
performance. When he had done,
Mile. Kora, his partner, went in
with the lions and took a little
dog. This was repeated four
times during the day, and the five new
lions were too much stunned by the
huge, noisy crowd about them and the
repeated visits of the lady, gentleman
and dog to think of anything else. Their
aStonlShment had not worn off, and they
were still quiet when left alone for the
night by the attendants at 10 o'clock.
Shortly after midnight, however, the
menagerie was filled with frightful roar
ing and snarling, and the watchman
sleeping on the premises rnshed in to
md the big iron cage rocking, and
eight lions fighting furiously. rolled up
into huge dark ball from which blood
stained fur was flying in all directions.
The huge beasts rolled over and over.
dashing madly against the sides of the
cage and biting pieces out of
each other with ferocity that was sick
enlng. All the sights organized to graf
lfy mans fondneSs for fighting would
have seemed tameSt childS play in COM
parlSon. After awhile it became evil
dent that there were two distinct sides
in the battle, and the new arrivals were
pitted at unfair odds against the lions
who had been in possession. The efforts
OF the walters to separate them only in
creased their fury, and at last he rushed
The tanner arrived half-clad and found
his lions bleeding fearfully, but still
fighting. The battle was narrowing
down to duel between the two
biggest lions, which were rap
idly biting each other to pieces
in the middle of the cage.
Occasionally the battle became general,
and for few seconds there would be
Jumble of snarling lions, with savage
crunchlng Of teeth, to tell how flesh was
being torn. The appearance of Del
lioiiiCO Will d Icu-llOC IRON produced the
desired effect, and all but the two chief
combatants stopped fighting, and
crouched sullenly down, licking their
bloody wounds and snarling encourage
ment to the two leaders in their terrible
fight. The hot iron was useless even
when applied to the raw flesh. The
lions responded to the burning sensa-
ton only by tearing each other more
fiercely.
At last Delmonico, fearing that he
should lose his two greatest actors, took
resolutions which would probably not
have occurred to any other man if the
existence of the entire animal creation
had been threatened. He entered the
cage half clad as he was and shut him
self in. He next opened door COM
municating with the second cage and
drove into it like so many sheep the six
lions that had been looking on. Mean
while the other lions were still fighting,
although much weaker. Delmonico at
tempted to separate them, but they paid
not the slightest attention to him.